Older workers can face many barriers when looking for employment. While it is illegal to discriminate based on age, it is hard to prove and misconceptions about older workers persist. Lets take a look at some common beliefs about older workers, and bust some myths!

Older workers just want to retire.
There is a perception of older workers as just marking time until retirement. As such, they are seen as less motivated, less interested in training and professional development, and  just in it for the paycheck. The fact is that more people are choosing to work past the traditional retirement age, either for financial reasons, or because they simply want to continue doing meaningful, fulfilling work. Retirement, for many, is becoming more of a phased process in which workers gradually reduce their hours over time until they are fully retired.  A  2008 Statistics Canada survey of older workers between 50 and 75 years of age showed that over half of them plan to continue to work on at least a part-time basis when they retire. 

Older workers take too much sick time.
Older workers are often perceived as less healthy and more in need of sick leave than their younger counterparts, but many studies show the opposite to be true! One study conducted by the British Insurance Company RIAS found that workers in their 20s were about twice as likely to take a sick day than their older colleagues, and another from Andrus Gerontology shows that workers over 45 take less sick time than those between 17 and 44. Staying healthy is important is important to older people; research conducted by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott shows that 71% of those over the age of 70 try to stay fit compared to only half of those younger than 45.

There is nothing to be gained in training an older worker.
Employers may be reluctant to invest in training and professional development for older workers, as their presumably short time left in the workforce does not make training cost effective. Interestingly, In Canada, older workers have the lowest job turnover of all age groups. In his book Managing the Older Worker, Dr. Peter Cappelli found that older workers are very engaged and want opportunities to interact with colleagues, and to use their skills in worthwhile ways. Working keeps them socially connected, and mentally and physically engaged. Given the low turnover, the high level of engagement older workers have in their work, and the trend towards working past traditional retirement age, employers have plenty of time to benefit from a well -trained older worker, and to recoup the costs of the training.

Older workers are just too expensive.
Certainly, any worker who has spent decades building up a career deserves to be paid accordingly, and it makes sense for older workers to be paid more than their younger colleagues doing the same job. Often, however, many older workers begin second careers, or take part-time work in an entirely new field. In these situations older workers would not be expecting to make any more than any other worker in the same position. They certainly wouldn't be expecting a higher salary based on age!

Older workers take jobs from younger people.
We need older people to stay in the workforce. As the population ages, there are not enough people to fill all the available jobs and this situation is going to intensify as more people retire. There is no evidence to suggest that employment levels among younger workers are being adversely affected by older workers remaining in the workforce. A multigenerational workforce in which older workers train and mentor younger ones is a good goal for any organization.

Research repeatedly shows that the negative stereotype of the older worker is misleading. Rather than a liability, employers should start looking at older workers as valuable assets who bring experience, skill, dependability and maturity to the workforce.